1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus and a security setting method thereof, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus, and a security setting method thereof, to be used in a wireless network connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus forms an image on a print medium such as a paper. The image forming apparatus may be implemented as a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction device having at least two of such functions, etc.
Recently, the image forming apparatus has been widely used as an office automation device, e.g., a multifunction device performing a scanning function and a facsimile function, in addition to a printing function outputting a document. In this regard, there is a growing tendency to develop the image forming apparatus to have higher performance in order to expand its inherent functions.
The image forming apparatus having such expanded functions may be set to be connected by a wireless network to use within an office. In general, the wireless network supports various encryption methods to reinforce protection of the image forming apparatus vulnerable to security violations.
As one of the encryption methods, the image forming apparatus and a host apparatus wirelessly connected to the image forming apparatus may share a predetermined encryption key and perform mutual certification using the shared encryption key. This method makes data communication by the wireless network available only between those apparatuses sharing the encryption key.
The image forming apparatus may be secured by passwords with respect to the various expanded functions. For example, a panel lock function may be provided to the image forming apparatus with respect to a panel provided as a user input means, making it necessary for a user to input a predetermined password in order to use the panel.
Since the passwords with respect to various functions of the image forming apparatus operate independently of the wireless network connection, processes of setting them are generally performed separately. The conventional image forming apparatus sets the encryption key for the wireless network connection and the passwords required for various functions to be different.
Accordingly, since the user should set a password for each function through a separate process, more time is unnecessarily consumed in the setting processes, and this also forces the user to remember all of the many passwords set for the respective functions, thereby causing inconvenience to the user.
Also, if the encryption key used with the wireless network connection is changed due to security concerns because of divulgence of the existing encryption key, this may make it impossible to connect the image forming apparatus to the wireless network by using the existing encryption key. However, if a user knows a password assigned to each function of the image forming apparatus even in this case, he/she can use the image forming apparatus without restriction, thus causing a security problem due to the unrestricted use thereof.